Tidak makes her way through the busy streets, weaving her way past the hordes of young men and women who pack the busy sidewalks. She is surprised that this old body is still capable of moving with such grace and speed.

  She had already walked far from her shop, and the place she was headed towards drew closer still. The old lady couldn’t help but ponder on times that have long since escaped her, memories of her hometown and the Teuton province of Ostland.

  She wondered what had become of the old province ever since she left. Aside from letters from old friends and family back in the homeland, she is starved for better details.

  Letters could never quite compare to the sweet smell of her hometown flowers, or the endless expanse of farmland, nor can they compare to being in the embrace of friends and the beer halls packed to the brim with countless patrons and drunken couples.

  She signed, turned left, and soon came across a gated building; even from this distance, she could already hear echoes of laughter and cheers from within its confines.

  As she approaches, the people at the gate let her through, and she enters. Immediately after stepping into the courtyard, Tidak is greeted by a large gathering of people, some old and some young, others in suits, while others were wearing jumpsuits and casual attire.

  “Well, well, looks like you all started without me, save the beers! I have more folks coming over!”

  “Hey, it's Tidak!”

  “Tidak!”

  “Get the beers out, we have more guests!”

  The old lady sat down with the others, most of whom were already drunk, as they gave her a beer mug.

  This is good; she was hoping it would all go smoothly.

  Tidak had been planning something this big with the few Teutons on this planet for some time already, and she was one of the main organizers.

  Though she was merely the person who secured the venue, that being an old lot used for big parties, she didn’t expect the turnout to be so large; there were at least seven to eight dozen people here. One may feel homesick without their fellow countrymen, sure, but this was more than she had imagined would partake.

  She shrugged and just went with the motions. She raised her mug and started drinking. Who was she to refuse the Teuton people’s love for food and drink, after all?

  Across from her, another person takes a seat, “Tidak, it has been a while! How are you these days?”

  She looked at him and smiled.

  The sharp dress he had already betrayed the meticulous maintenance that this person puts into his public appearance, removing his hat, a freshly trimmed and dandy face greets her, light blue eyes looking at her with a sense of youthful energy, but also a small hint of experience, complemented by a smile. The neatly prepared clothes stood out the most, almost too clean and perfect for any commoner.

  Upon his chest, lay a plethora of medals, they are not there for show, no, those are Teuton Imperial military awards, he bears both the Nomad’s cross 1st and 2nd class, prestigious awards on their own, but small in comparison to the one medal hanging on her right chest: A star of heaven, one only found on war heroes.

  The man leaned in closer. “Ah! How is the shop doing? Any news from home? Anything happened?”

  Tidak chuckles and took another sip.

  “Slow down, Sir Wiking, don’t worry, I have a ton of news from back home, but let’s just stay here and enjoy the party first, huh? I have folks on the way.”

  “Of course, oh, but please just call me Oliver, people only use my family’s name when talking business or when some journalists want to interview me, haha.”

  Oliver Von Wiking. Imperial Nobility and self-proclaimed adventurer. Tidak still finds herself smiling at the young lord of House Wiking, all because of the absurdity of it all. That and the man before her now is as much a papa’s boy as he is a wandering soul.

  Oliver once served in the Imperial Army as captain of a Combat Engineer unit. Teuton nobility have a sacred duty to serve, to defend, and to fight for the nation as officers. In that regard, Oliver is no different from his father, brother, and countless others of his social class.

  The mental image of Oliver in the officer’s school forms in her mind’s eye.

  The strapping young man is full of energy, ever ready to make it big in a universe of Gods and mortals. Wiking blood flows strongly in him, it seems.

  Tidak smiles, leaning back.

  “How is old Konrad? That old Wiking hasn’t been doing much eversince retiring from the military.”

  “Oh, Papa is doing well!” Oliver exclaims, the pride in his voice evident.

  “That’s actually why I came here to find you. I was actually looking for your help to get back in Teutonika. I was originally planning on taking a ship at a spaceport, but since the Sebirsk government has requisitioned all public ships for emergency food runs… I ended up getting stuck here, humiliating, no? A discharged serviceman getting stopped from returning home?”

  “Eh, there are things way more embarrassing, but anyway, I’m going to assume that old Konrad told you to seek me out, eh?”

  Tidak smirks.

  “Yes! Honestly, Tidak, if anyone can help me now, it's you. Papa has told me much about you in my youth, heh, I still vividly remember some of those old stories of his.”

  Oliver cleared his throat, eyes closed as the buzz began to pick up.

  “The brave captain of the third Panzer grenadier company, surging forward to keep up with the armor, through artillery and through enemy lines! Always at the front and always by zeal and will, she leads. How she would dash aside enemy positions in her way, clearing a path for others coming up behind her, earning herself the admiration and devotion of those under her command… Ah… Truly a tale for bards to sing about!”

  Tidak couldn’t help but feel somewhat amused by Oliver’s cheerful manner of speaking.

  “Then again, you shouldn’t assume it was all glory and valiant charges, after all, even the brave captain had her fair share of troubles. She had to… Fight tooth and nail to make sure those under her command made it back home in one piece, not all did.” Tidak replies.

  “Oh, I am not disputing that, after all…” Oliver placed his hand on his medals.

  “I, too, have served my time. But I haven’t defeated my greatest enemy; my feet.”

  “Let me guess…” Tidak starts, “You got on a ship, went exploring this world, but then found yourself stuck, and so your father, who I imagine just sighs in his study, tells you to seek out an old friend, me.”

  The young noble chuckles, scratching his head. He leans forward, “Please keep this a secret, it would make conversations easier if the people didn’t know who I really am.”

  Just as Tidak is about to carry on the conversation, her ears chanced upon the unmistakable sound of a certain someone running towards her. Before she knew it, Dori’s arms had wrapped around her body.

  “Granny! Granny! We’re here and we brought some extra food for you guys!”

  Looking back, Tidak sees Dori holding on to her tightly.

  Astrid placed a pot of fresh rice and soup on the table, much to the smiles and cheers of those close by, as food was beginning to run out.

  “Aw, thank you, dear, but really, you should save as much food as you can; who knows what the future might hold.”

  As Tidak looks around her, she notices that there are even more people arriving, most likely in the hundreds, many of whom are with their children and loved ones.

  Her heart skipped a beat. ‘Yes,’ she thought to herself, this was precisely what she had intended to occur. For all she knew, the celebration could be hosting whole regiments at this point.

  Dori giggles and scratches the back of her head.

  “Hehe, dont worry, big sis just used leftovers, so we didn't waste all that much food.”

  Astrid walks up close to her.

  “That’s right. Oh yeah, if you don’t mind, we’re gonna have our fill of the drinks, you’ll probably be looking at say… Five or six beer mugs.”

  “Oh? Who are these two ladies?” Oliver asks.

  “Ah.” Tidak stood up, walking by the side of the two elves.

  “Oliver, these two are the friends I mentioned. This is Astrid, and this is little Dori. You know, the two young girls who always keep me busy? Hoho.”

  “Ah, I see.” The young man made his way over. Astrid and Dori are intimidated a little by the man’s height. He was like a mountain, a wall of stone in a fancy suit. Astrid was of average height, but she could only come up to Oliver’s chest.

  “Pleasure to meet you, Miss Astrid, Miss Dori. My name’s Oliver Wiking, but since you are friends with Frau Tidak, you can just call me Oliver.”

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  “Nice to meet you.” Astrid manages to keep herself from getting scared, though Dori was making it difficult for her; she could see her off to the side, struggling not to laugh at her older sister’s predicament.

  “So… You guys are all Teutons, huh? Gotta say you definitely brought out all the stops. I don’t think we’ve ever been to one of these. So what’s the occasion about? Is it someone’s birthday?”

  “Ah, there is no real reason.” Oliver’s smile grew wider and warmer, “That might seem odd, but we’re actually here just for the sake of being here. Most of us here are ex-pats working abroad in Sebirsk, we rarely, if ever, get the chance to do some of the things we love back home, like say, hanging out in the beer halls with friends for hours on end, or just having the chance to talk about the home country, about Teutonika!”

  He crossed his hands, still smiling.

  “So… Tidak decided to organize this little event for us Teutons. A little taste of home that is so far away, complete with authentic beer from back home! Oh, and some of our cuisine too!”

  “Really, you exaggerate,” Tidak replied.

  “Nonsense! You were the person with the idea and the primary organizer; credit to you is due!”

  “Oh, very well, if you insist. Anyway, enjoy the venue while you can, you three, I’ll just be here if you ever need me-”

  Suddenly, the venue is interrupted by rattling on the chain fence. The group saw a Sebirskan; he looked haggard and tired, and the sweat marks on his white shirt gave away his current state.

  His eyes grow wide as soon as he locks eyes with Tidak. Waving his hands frantically, he leans in.

  “Tidak! Get over here, I have urgent news, it concerns those two kids with ya too, c’mon!”

  “Huh?”

  Dori immediately hid behind Astrid.

  “What does that man want with us…?”

  Astrid held her sister’s hand. She squints her eyes at the man, and something in her mind snapped into action.

  “Hey, wait a second… Granny, isn’t this one of your friends and business partners? You know, when you helped him out with his bar and he’s been telling you info on the sly?”

  “Ja, that’s him. Do you want to hear him out? Follow me.” Tidak gestures for the siblings and Oliver to follow.

  As they approached the fence, the Sebirskan sighed in relief.

  “Oh, thank the Gods you’re here, listen, I got real bad news, it's got something to do with the whole food crisis we've got, and the family of these two who went out for help!”

  Astrid and Dori’s eyes went wide as they heard that. “Wait, mom?!” Astrid exclaims.

  Dori was starting to tense up. She looks at her sister with worry in her eyes.

  “M-mom?” Dori eventually works up the courage to approach the fence.

  “What’s going on, mister? Tell me everything!”

  “Wow, wow, calm down there, kid. Let me explain.” The Sebirskan places his fingers on his forehead.

  “Alright… So, I’m sure that you know why your mother went out, now, I’ve been checking up on her progress by checking in on her whenever she contacts either me or Tidak, I’m also one of your mother’s old friends you see, so I keep talking to her whenever I get the chance, but one day, something was wrong.”

  The man frantically reaches for something in his pocket. In his hand was a small holographic projector, rusty as it is, and the device began to power up.

  “It started normal enough, just another day of checking up on Eileen. She had just finished checking up with Tidak and the Sebirsk authorities, so she seemed relaxed when we started talking. She told me that she was very close to the Teuton border when… When…”

  Oliver noticed that Astrid’s fists were clenched tightly. Her breathing was getting more uneasy, and he could hear the faint sound of frustration escaping her. Astrid took a deep breath.

  “What happened to Mom? Don’t waste time, give it to us straight! P-please!”

  The Sebirskan let the hologram play out; there they saw her once again. A woman clad in an armored jumpsuit and flight helmet was working overtime as she made adjustments to her course, trying to pilot her vessel. It was Mom.

  “Mayday, mayday, to anyone who can get this transmission, I require immediate assistance! My ship is going down, I am sending the coordinates alongside a description of the planet, and I am attempting an emergency landing. My ship was attacked by a group calling themselves the Black Host!”

  Eileen gritted her teeth as sparks flew in all directions. Almost breaking her jaw, she fought with the controls.

  “To the Sebirsk government, if I am unable to continue, please send more people after me; do not let my failure make the crisis worse! As for me, please send a rescue and recovery team as soon as possible. Bring military escorts, the Black Host is hostile, repeat, hostile!”

  The hologram began to shake violently. They watched as Eileen’s face contorted, and she yelled out to the heavens as her screams were mixed in with the sound of static, electrical currents going off. The hologram momentarily regained its clarity, only to show Eileen bracing for her life, metal panels flying off in every direction, the sound of rock and solid earth eating away at the archosite hull of the ship was deafening, before finally cutting to static.

  Dori’s eyes turn hollow, her smile disappears, and her face becomes muddled and false.

  “M-mom! Mister, please tell us what happened. Is Mom gonna be alright? Say something!”

  “Dori!”

  Astrid holds her sister tightly. Dori looks as though she is gonna explode in a flurry of emotions, of fear and pain made worse by anticipation and the lack of answers from the man.

  Astrid, too, is feeling a whirlwind of emotion, but she kept it in; she had to be strong for little Dori.

  “Dori, listen! Everything is gonna be fine!”

  “No! No, it’s not, what if Mama is hurt really bad?! We gotta go find her, I don’t want to leave her there! Big sis, we need to find her!”

  Astrid wraps her hands around her sister; she is the only thing to keep her from rushing towards the fence. The fear is real; she could see it in Dori’s eyes as her heart pounded faster and faster.

  Though Dori isn’t crying, her body gave away the aura of anxiousness that seemed to grow stronger with each passing second.

  Tidak and Oliver looked around; the noise didn’t go unnoticed. Others are looking at them, eyes fixating on the little girl and her older sister. Some had a concerned expression on them, others looked at each other, not wishing to interfere or just trying to mind their own business.

  “Frau Tidak!” The old lady feels Oliver’s hand on her shoulder.

  Before anyone can say anything, Tidak opens a nearby gate for the man. “Inside. Now,” the Seberiskan complies, and as he enters, Tidak escorts him to a nearby shack used for storage.

  The other quickly followed them in, and Oliver shut the door. Turning back towards the Sebirskan and with Astrid busy trying to get her dear sister to calm down, Tidak approached.

  “Did you tell the authorities?”

  “Yes! I told them as soon as I got this stuff on record!” The Sebirskan rubs his forehead, trying to formulate the next set of words.

  “They… They said that they are prioritizing food collection and reaching out to the Teuton Empire. Dozens of others have been sent out in Eileen’s place; they aren’t gonna tell anyone about this, and they’ve asked us to keep it to ourselves; they don’t want mass panic to erupt.”

  Oliver’s eyes widen.

  “Wait, could they not have sent rescue teams? Any?”

  “They wish they could, but rescue is a secondary consideration. Ships are limited on this planet, and almost all of them are being used for emergency food runs.” The man replies, solemnly.

  “I gave them a copy of the coordinates, too! But they say that they can't spare the ships, they… They said that we’ll just have to wait.”

  Dori’s chest begins to pump up and down at an alarming rate.

  “No, they can't do that, we can't wait for this!”

  Shaking off the embrace of her sister, she runs towards Tidak.

  “Granny, please! You gotta do something, you can do anything, right? Isn’t there anything you can do?”

  Tidak remains silent. Astrid notices that her eyes are narrowing. She looked back at the Sebirskan.

  “My friend, do you remember that old ship I asked you to take care of from time to time?”

  “Ah! Yeah, I remember, she’s good and ready to fly!”

  Good. Very good.

  The old woman crosses her arms, thoughts running deep; it is like her mind had transformed itself into a calculator as she considered all this information.

  The people don’t know, the Sebirsk government wants to keep this a secret, and Eileen is out there with slim chances of rescue.

  She slowly clenches her fists and nods.

  There can be only one acceptable answer to this.

  “Please, prepare the ship. If the government isn’t gonna find her, I swear on the Gods that we will.”

  The Sebirskan nods, eyes looking tired and worried. “Heh. I had a feeling you were gonna say that.”

  Astrid walks by her sister’s side and asks.

  “Granny, what are you planning?”

  Tidak sighs, “I can’t believe I’ll have to do this one last time.”

  She rubs the head of little Dori to comfort her.

  “I’m going to find your mother. No one else is willing to do it, and I have a ship; we have her latest coordinates, and I still have some fight in me.”

  “What?” Astrid exclaimed, worried. “Wait, you aren’t seriously thinking of going out there on your own, aren’t you? What if you get into trouble?”

  “Keep it together, my dear.” Tidak makes a fist and presses it against her chest, before pulling out a shiny object from her neck, previously hidden under her clothes. A single Nomad’s eye, first class.

  “I am a decorated war hero.”

  Astrid grits her teeth, “Even so, let me come with you, war hero of Teutonika or not, you still need help.”

  Oliver steps forward.

  “She’s right, captain.” Tidak is surprised by this gesture.

  “Look, this whole thing sounds dangerous. How about I come along as well? I am also a soldier; we can work together on this.”

  Tidak sighs, “I had hoped that you would all stay, but since I can’t stop you all, I will accept your help. But once we are out there, I want you all to listen to me and follow my orders to the letter… Once we leave, consider yourselves my soldiers, it's the only way we can do this.”

  She frowns, “Especially with the group that attacked Eileen.”

  Dori waves her hands in the air, “Wait! What can I do? I… I wanna go and help Mama too!”

  Astrid kneels and looks at Dori in the eyes, “I’m sorry, lil’sis, but you can’t come with us.”

  “But… Why? Can’t I help?”

  Astrid scratches her head, “Dori, you are way too young. Listen, don’t be sad. I know things seem bad, but we shouldn’t lose hope in Mama. If there’s any issue, then… It’s my job as the eldest to help her, but Dori, you’re still way too young for this. Please, stay here, I’m sure that granny’s friends are more than willing to take care of you while we’re gone.”

  Dori is beginning to get scared. Clutching her fists together, she hugs her sister.

  “No, please, I don’t want you to get hurt,” Astrid could hear the faint sounds of whimpering.

  “I won't, I promise.”

  A faint, painful, wave-like sensation overcomes Astrid and washes over her chest.

  Astrid curses herself. She knows she was lying to herself and her sister if she were to say that she wasn’t afraid, who wouldn’t be at least somewhat scared by all this? Indeed, if Dori were to start crying, she could understand why.

  But as the eldest, Astrid knew that she could not simply unleash all her emotions, at least not right now and not here. She has a duty to her dear sister; she must be strong, as solid and unyielding as stone. Astrid looked back at Tidak and Oliver, her decision final.

  Tidak looks up at the sky and says, “Gods help us.”